Self-priming pump



May 19, 1936.

R. G. BARZEN SELF PRIMING PUMP Filed Sept. 7, 1933 11v VE/V T0 1e, R/cha/ da Bar-zen,

A TTORNEV "Patented May 19, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT 'ori-" ca v 2,041,586 sanr-rnmnve rum Richard G. Barren, City, Mo.

Application September 7, 1933, Serial No. 688,481 1 Claim. (Cl. 103113) The present invention relates to pump construction, and one primary object in view is to provide a novel and improved as well as more efficient construction characterized by a selfpriming function, and in which provision is made for the self-priming action with a minimum of complication as regards structural details.

Accordingly, the improved construction comprises a centrifugal pump unit provided with means for automatically maintaining a priming action by the centrifugal force of the pump operating to produce a circular wash of primingchamber, while the wash of the fluid around the exterior of the impeller housing, due to the impeller's operation, is maintained free and unobstructed for producing the most effective priming action during the preliminary operation of the pump for that purpose. The fundamental characteristic of the improved construction is the provision of such means as will automatically maintain an efflcient flow of priming liquid for the needs of the impeller in the priming action and thereafter cause such flow of priming liquid to be dispensed with as a natural consequence of the centrifugal action involved in the normal operation of the pump.

It is further sought to provide a construction in which an improved suppOrted reiation is afforded the pump structure proper, eliminating bearing features from the pump unit itself andrelieving it of stresses that would otherwise be imposed upon the pump casing, and at the same time preserving a proper effective seal between the shaft bearings and the water spaces.

A furtherfeature of improvement is to be found in an improved packing structure for housing the adjoining end of the impeller shaft and providing a most effective lubricant seal therefor.

With the foregoing general objects in view, the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred form of embodiment of the proposed improvcments, after which those features and comillustrated in Figure 1. The casing 24 is conbinations deemed to be novel willparticularly be set forth and claimed.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation, representing a section taken on the line li of Figure 2 5 and illustrating a pump apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, representing a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure i;

' Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view showing the end of the impeller shaft and improved packing construction for same; and

Figures 4 and 5 .are transverse sections taken on the lines l4 and 5-4, respectively, of Figure 3. v

Referring now to the drawing in detail, this illustrates my improved construction as comprising a supporting standard it provided with suitable bearings i2 for the journalling of a shaft M to which power may be transmitted in any preferred manner, as by means of a pulley IS. The standard I0 is formed with a supporting flange I6 to which is secured, as by means of screws H, the outer edge of a casting i8 which is formed with a central packing housing 20 for the corresponding portion of the shaft l4, and also with a flange 2i for the attachment, as by the screws 22, of the pump casing 24, all as structed to provide an outer chamber and also an interior volute shell or housing 26 forming an impeller chamber 21 having its discharge outlet 28 at the bottom of the chamber 25 and facing in the direction of the water circulation as produced by the action of the impeller member 29, around the chamber 25 to the discharge outlet 30 therefrom. The impeller member 29 is of conventional form having the vanes or blades 32, and secured by a conical bushing 33, key 8i and nut 34 to the end of the shaft it; its hub portion 29' also has a machined fit within the hub recess l8 of the casting I 8, as well as machined surfaces 85 at the areas of contact between the outer portions of the impeller and the corresponding faces of said casting, as clearly indicated in Figure 1.

. The shell 26 connects with the outer side of the casing 24 by means of the central neck portion or annular partition 36 forming a central or axial intake passage 31 to the impeller chamber 21, the entrance to which passage 31 is by way of an intake casting or housing 38 attached by screws 40 to the outer face of the casing 24.

In the lower side of the neck or partition 36 angle (of approximately-65 to 70) to the axis of the impeller, or in such angular position as to directwater from the chamber 25 (in the priming operation) into the interior of the impeller at the points best adapted for effectiveness in the circulation of the water by means of the impeller vanes or blades.

An inspection and clean-out opening 43 (adapted to be covered by a suitable cover platenot shown) is provided in the outer face of the casing 24, below the intake housing 38.

In the priming operation of the pump, it willbe understood that the chamber 25 is maintained. partly full of water and the rotation of the impeller (in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2) produces a circular wash of this water through said chamber, which tends to seal the pump discharge and creates a suctional action within the intake line to the pump.-

It will also be noted that the port or passage 42 is located just above the discharge outlet from the impeller chamber 21, which is just that position best adapted to trap the water discharged from said port into the impeller chamber between the series of impeller vanes or blades '32 I as they successively pass said discharge outlet 28; and the angle of this port or passage 42 is also that which is best adapted to transmit the influence of the suctional action produced withtrapped by the circulating water and escapes through the outlet 30 from the pump, and since during the priming action all the water supplied to the impeller reaches it through the port 42, and in an amount which is of course considerably less than the pumps capacity, the actual priming action will take place in a more or less intermittent or pulsating manner, for the restricted feed of water to the impeller through said port will result in the impeller becoming momentarily air-bound to a certain degree until suflicient water is again sucked through said port into the impeller chamber to maintain the full priming effect of the impeller, thereby trapping more air from the intake line and discharging it from the pump. This pulsating eifect is evidenced by slight iiuctuations in the degree of vacuum produced in the intake, which gradually increases until the required degree is secured for obtaining the required suctional lift on the intake side of the pump. When this point is reached the action of the impeller will maintain the movement of the water around the outer limits of the casing and with such centrifugal effect as to overcome any tendency of the water to move inward through the port d2 into the impeller chamber. In this connection it will be observed that by virtue of the fact that a free and unobstructed passage is provided for the circulation of water in the outer casing around the impeller. housing and its neck portion 36, no hindrance is ofiered to the centrifugal movement of the water, and this open char acter of all the pumping passages and the elimination of any recirculation following the prelimiis provided a passage or port 42 arranged at an nary priming operation has the effect of maintaining the full pumping capacity of the unit during the normal operation thereof.

The free and unobstructed character of the flow space around the impeller housing and its intake connection also promotes such vigorous 'centrifugal movement of the water as to wash and scour the fiow passage clean and free of any deposit of foreign matter,eliminating the necessity of providing screens or the like in most pumping operations.

If desired, asuitable fiap valve 39, hinged to a plate 4|, may be secured in place at the entrance to the intake housing 38, for the purpose of automatically cutting off communication from the induction pipe when the operation of the pump is stopped, and thus keeping a suflicient supply of water in the pump casing for use in the next priming operation.

Within the recess provided by the hub portion20 of the casting l8 around the end portion of the shaft I4 I provide an improved packing structure which comprises a plurality of grooved or channeled leather gaskets 44, in two sets, one for each end of said recess; and between these two sets of gaskets I interpose a single compression spring 45 ly; and while this serves to maintain a constant and uniform seal around the end of the shaft, it

is apparent that with the gaskets flaring outwardly in opposite directions towards the ends of the packing structure, this permits grease to work out past the edges of the gaskets, but opposes any pressure of air or water seeking to enter the opposite ends of thepacking, i. e., at the ends of the recess within said housing portion 20. A grease cup 89 and duct 5|! are provided for feeding suitable lubricant to the space occupied by the spring 45.

That object of the invention is also accomplished which aims to relieve the pump casing itself of any bearing strain, since the construction provides for attachment of the casing to a bearing structure which is otherwise supported, that is, by the attachment of one side of said-casing to the flange Not the casting i8. Thus, in addition to providing not only a more simple as well as more sightly construction, the pump unit is relieved of much of the tendency to distortion to which it is usually subjected in the usual conventional designs.

It will therefore be seen that I have provided a practical and highly 'efilcientarrangement and construction for carrying out all the desired ob jects of the invention as hereinbefore stated; and while I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred form of embodiment thereof I desire to reserve the right to make of the side walls or the casing having a hollow inwardly projecting neck portion providing an intake passage, a volute impeller housing connected integrally both with the opposite side wall and also with the inner end of said neck portion and having an outlet at the lowermost portion of said housing in approximately tangential relation to the interior Wall of the casing for discharging into the outer space within the casing surrounding said housing, said outer space within the casing surrounding both said housing and said neck portion being undivided as well as ontirely open and unobstructed to form a single the priming liquid in one stream following a substantially circular path around both said housing and said neck portion, and a rotory impeller member operating within said housing about an axis alined centrally with said intake passage, the bottom 0! said neck portion having a port in the same vertical plane with the axis of said impeller member and positioned to direct a jet of priming liquid toward the central portion of the impeller housing, said housing outlet being also located in said vertical plane and below the level of said port.

RICHARD G. BARZEN. 

